Extra LIVE services and Verdict

Summary

Our Score

9/10

User Score

Review Price £299.99

The LIVE services have also been extended, with the inclusion of TripAdvisor and Expedia connectivity. Both require the LIVE connection to be active, so will only work in the eight Western European countries where this is available. But coverage extends beyond this. For example, we found restaurants listed in TripAdvisor for small towns in Tenerife. TripAdvisor also lists hotels and places of interest you might want to visit, including location and phone number. Its main benefit over a standard Points of Interest listing or Google Local Search, however, is the user review section, which can help you decide where to go, although only some reviews are in English.

Expedia at first looks like an overlap of TripAdvisor, but in fact focuses entirely on hotels. It includes up-to-date pricing and a comprehensive listing of amenities, as well as reviews. So you can make a much more informed decision about where you want to stay, and then navigate there. And, of course, you also get the full range of TomTom's regular LIVE services, with HD Traffic as the jewel in the crown. This is only available in a subset of the eight Western European countries where LIVE services are supported, but it's brilliant where you can get it. A year of LIVE service is included in the box, after which the cost is £47.50 a year.

Verdict

Although the Twitter connectivity is the most unique and newsworthy feature on the TomTom GO LIVE 1005 World, in reality it's a feature you will most likely use for some journeys and not others. This is also one of the most expensive sat-navs currently on the market, as prices have dropped a lot over the last couple of years. However, the maps included are worth at least as much as the sat-nav itself, if you were to purchase them separately from TomTom, plus the TripAdvisor and Expedia functionality could be genuinely useful if you travel in Europe a lot. So whilst there are better-value sat-navs out there, including a number of TomTom's own models, those who regularly venture around the globe will find this a potent companion.